We have been talking about organic farming and sustainable agriculture for more than a decade. Many scientific meetings have been organized to discuss these themes. It appears, however, that up until now the results have been more rhetorical than practical. Hundreds of papers have been published on the potential damage which chemical fertilizers can do, while the mass media have been warning the public that the continued heavy use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides will lead to catastrophe. However, there is no sign that the use of chemical fertilizers has declined. This may reflect the fact that as far as these issues are concerned, there seems to be a big gap between the ideal situation people talk about, and what can be done in practice. It appears that this phenomenon is not confined to the agricultural sector. (The rest omitted)